Omega 8005 Juicer worth it? Better choices?

[raweater]

I currently ahve a Breville centrifugical juicer and as most of you know these really aren't very good (destroys most nutrition, inefficient, can't juice leafy greens/grass).

I'm now strongly considering the Omega 8005, I recommended it to a friend after learning my own purchase was a mistake and he loves his.

What I'm afraid of is my current one has a HUGE opening, there's NOTHING that won't fit in it, even large apples fit whole.

I'm dreading having to chop every fruit and veggie, I already only use my current juicer maybe 15-30 times a year, I'm afraid I may use it even less if I have to chop everything to small bits bhefore using it. I know I could chop the stuff in the fodo processor first, but then that's 2 machiens to clean just to make juice!

Should I keep my easy to use juicer that destroys most vitamins and extracts inefficiently that accepts whole fruits and veggies, or do you think it's worth getting the Omega that seems like it's a lot of extra trouble to use.

By the way, exactly how small is the hole on the Omega juicer? Can you at least fit strawberries and/or carrots without chopping? Are there other juicers of this kind (non centrifugical) with a less ridiculously small opening?

Thanks

[Lavendula]

I can not remember where, but there was a long comparison and explanation of the different types and brands of all the juicers out there, about what they are best for. That helped me make my decision, and I am happy with my Omega, it does what I bought it for. Check out the threads from last fall, several of us bought it around the same time. Just look around online, there is a lot of info and detailed comparison out there.
I have my juiceman, though not as big and mighty as the Breville, I still love it, for those reasons. I didn't pay as much as you did and it fits in a smaller space with less (only 3) parts to wash, just a quick twist and easy on/ off. It juices fast and is best for carrots, beets, etc., not soft fruits, greens, etc. It takes longer to wash and clean the veggies, than to juice, and wash parts.
I have a new Omega 8003 (8005 is just chrome look plastic coating) also, it was love at first glass of juice, and that first glass was worth every penny, and each glass reminds me why I love it. It too, fit my space, weight, cleanup, and $$ requirement. I use them both, sometimes both in the same day. One does better what the other does not. Yes the hopper is small, but I am poking parsley,beet greens /stems, wheat grass, kale leaves or lemon slices, plus some other things, that you do have to cut smaller, but only because it is an auger, and a whole carrot, or beet or apple would just sit there and not feed. I have a few tips I have learned to suit my needs, as I try to 2nd use my pulp. Yes, there are better. more $$ (like $300), 27 lb options, that take up your whole counter and raw food tool budget. I also have a champion someone gave me to try, i was not impressed, but it is old and he wasn't to interested in having it back, so I ordered a new blade for it, and have yet to try it. Right juicer, right job. Just gotta shop and do the homework, like the rest of us. I spent many hours, as did others, researching.

[Steeny]

Why are you saying that the Breville destroys nutrients? I don't understand that.
I just bought a Breville, and I love it! I have been juicing lettuces successfully. It's how you package them. You have to roll them in a ball or wrap them around a carrot or something.
I wish I had some recipes for the fiber that is left over though.
Anyone have anything for that? Steeny

[Lavendula]

check out some of the bread recipes over there, you can add juicer pulp to anything. Breads, soups, avocado filling, rolled in kale leaves or nori sheets. Gotta play with it.

[raweater]

It destroys nutrients because exposure to air is what destorys the nutrition, and by whipping the juice through a very high speed spinning filter, tons of air is whipped into it destoying a huge amount of nutrients. The masticating or auger type juicers inject no air whatsoever and rotate at very low speed. People upgrading from a centrifugical juicer (like the Brevilles) to an auger type juicer like the Omega 8005 mention requiring half the amount of juice before they feel full compared to the centrifugical made juice. The other big disadvantage with centrifugical juicers is that they are very ineffecient (to the point of barely being worth using) with leafy vegetables like spinach or grasses, they mostly just throw those out unjuiced, a masticating juicer will get every last drop out of it.

The breville wasn't bad as a first juicer, but knowing about it's problems now I would have waited to buy the Omega 8005 instead.

Here's a good article from Dr. Mercola about the problems as centrifugical juicers and benefits of masticating/auger juicers:
http://www.mercola.com/article/juicer.htm

[raweater]

Steeny: Not to dissapoint you even more, but here is another juicer comparison that agrees the Brevilles are by far the worst buy, I severely regret my purchase of the Breville juicer, one of the worst buys I've ever done:
http://www.2-life.com/site/juicer_reviews.html

If you're still within your return period for the Breville, RETURN IT! You won't regret getting a proper juicer that makes real raw juice (the juice from the Brevilles can hardly be considered raw as they have nearly no nutrition left in them) They are absolutely terrible juicers for many reasons. I hope you're still within the return period, as I know the feeling of making such a bad buy, I did the exact same thing 1-2 years ago with my Breville.

By the way, I am now decided and am getting the Omega 8005, it seems like the best choice accoridng to nearly everyone, and it preserves the nutrition of the juice unlike the Breville that destroys most of it.

[momma-rawma]

I like mine--but really..like a salad..just gather your fruits and/or veg....get 'em prepped (Shouldn't take more than 10 minutes...TOPS and that is only if you have something that is incredibly sturdy and takes a little work like me and the complicated mango :D ).

Leaves are a small challenge--i just want to shove a bunch in there...you have to space them out. I've been using it for almost 2 weeks and for the first time...got the kale stuck and couldn't get it to go...I was trying to much at one time. :eek: Had to disassemble and poke a skewer to get it dislodged from the shute and then was good to go.


I can make my drinks in about 10 minutes total (but I'm use to dicing and prepping for the kiddos anyway).

Clean up is a breeze--disassemble, rinse in sink with garbage disposal all the parts. Do a quick brush on the filter/grate thing a ma jig....toss in dishwasher and you are done. Or do a quick run with a smidge of soap and water, reassamble the machine and you are ready for next time.

Start to finish with a routine, I'm done in 15 minutes. I've spent longer making grits, oatmeal, toast, and pancakes in the past.:D

It is also a low RPM juicer, so you don't risk heating any of the juice above the threshhold for true rawness....the faster RPMs will have some heat that technically do something to the nutrients (from the raw world standpoint).

I still blush at the site of the masticator thing a ma jig though. I just can't get my head out of the gutter every time I look at it.:o

We shopped on line for about 1 week and a half. I tossed back and forth between the champion and this one. I did end up opting for the Omega. (though do to my hemming and hawing--I got really surprised at the narrowness of the shute and the word omega on my juicer--I had a moment thinking that it was some mistake).

I've had many yummy green juices! Best purchase EVER!!!!!

[raweater]

Thanks.

What do you mean by "I still blush at the site of the masticator thing a ma jig though. I just can't get my head out of the gutter every time I look at it."?

[rawfigure]

I have a Brevillee and the Omega 8005. I hated the Breville as it was so messy and the juice flies through the seams, so it is stored in case of Emergency. I love the Omega, but yes you do have to chop the veggies and fruit into longer thin pieces. I make sure I buy the small carrots as they usually fit. I have had a few problems with theOmega, set it back twice for service (motor problem) and also my Auger chipped. In all cases they fixed it at their cost. So I am Happy !

[raweater]

Thanks for the info

By the way, if you're talking about baby carrots, I'd recommend you read up on them on www.mercola.com, the baby carrots are made from rotten big ones they cut the bad parts off to resell them anyway.

[tvillemom]

I love my Omega 8005! It is used all the time for juices and banana/fruit ice cream. Yes, I do have to slice my veggies alittle more than before, but it is so worth the time. I was having to slice everything before, with a centrifugal juicer, now, with the Omega, I just slice it a couple more times...not THAT much more time. It is also VERY, VERY easy to assemble, disassemble, and wash, which is a major bonus, as I hate to scrub that centrifugal thingie!:o That was a major pain, much more so than a couple other slices of the veggie.

Good luck

[spiralgirl]

Thanks for this post as I was very tempted to get the Breville juicer over a month ago as one model was on sale at a store near where I live. I've done quite a bit of research and was set on the Omega 8005 but then read on one site (can't remember where but this guy does you tube videos of blenders etc. think it's blindguru) and on their site it said it wasn't good to have a plastic auger like the Omega 8005 has. That left me completely confused and I held off since I really want a Vitamix so trying to save some cash.

For juice all I do now is use my cheap blender and then just use a big strainer to strain out the pulp and I have instant juice. I'll do that until I get the Vitamix as I hear you can make juices with that (pulp included of course) and then if I still want a juicer I'll probably get the Omega. Just so glad I didn't buy the Breville one now.

[raweater]

Juices made in a blender aren't really juices and do not have the same properties at all. For example, you can easily consume 10 pounds of carrots juiced, but not blended. You can get more nutrition with juice as you can concume abnormally large quantities, but this is also a problem as it causes excess in sugar due to the lack of fiber.

Thanks for the info, I'm now decided on the Omega 8005.

Thanks

[momma-rawma]

Thanks.

What do you mean by "I still blush at the site of the masticator thing a ma jig though. I just can't get my head out of the gutter every time I look at it."?
let's just say I "found" a certain appliance at my..ummm...dad and stepmom's house when I was younger. (I was snooping in general...didn't expect that.:eek: ).

So I giggled the first time I saw the part that does the grinding.

It was that little bit of immaturity shining through. I'm sure all the juicers that are not centrifugal have the same part. But man--I still crack up and think back to that unfortunate "find" when I was snooping.:eek: :D

[momma-rawma]

Juices made in a blender aren't really juices and do not have the same properties at all. For example, you can easily consume 10 pounds of carrots juiced, but not blended. You can get more nutrition with juice as you can concume abnormally large quantities, but this is also a problem as it causes excess in sugar due to the lack of fiber.

Thanks for the info, I'm now decided on the Omega 8005.

Thanks

Good! Hope you enjoy it.

I couldn't decide for or against the plastic auger (thanks for that name!)....the thing about juicers...at least the masticating ones is they are pressing out so many of the nutrients so you can drink them up and digest them more easily. In the smoothies--you are getting the bits and pieces, but unless you are chewing them as you drink them, you aren't breaking them down and you will pass those bits pretty much undigested (carrots for example).

[Live Love Laugh]

I just bought my Omega 8005 less than a month ago ... I am very pleased with what this machine can do .. BUT , the plastic auger is CHIPPING on me . I will be calling the company soon , even tho I bought it at a Health Expo .
Was good for me to read from 2 other rawbies about the potential problems with the plastic auger ..It's still a GREAT juicer tho !

[spiralgirl]

Juices made in a blender aren't really juices and do not have the same properties at all. For example, you can easily consume 10 pounds of carrots juiced, but not blended. You can get more nutrition with juice as you can concume abnormally large quantities, but this is also a problem as it causes excess in sugar due to the lack of fiber.

Thanks for the info, I'm now decided on the Omega 8005.

Thanks

raweater,

Thanks, I know it's not the same but for now I have to make due.

[spiralgirl]

I just bought my Omega 8005 less than a month ago ... I am very pleased with what this machine can do .. BUT , the plastic auger is CHIPPING on me . I will be calling the company soon , even tho I bought it at a Health Expo .
Was good for me to read from 2 other rawbies about the potential problems with the plastic auger ..It's still a GREAT juicer tho !

Live Love Laugh,

Good to know about the problem you are having as well. The problem for me then became what juicer to get as the Omega 8005 seemed the best of the bunch. So don't know what one I would get when I get one.

[Stina]

Can you juice wheat grass through one of these or does that take a really special juicer? So far, I'm making do with my trusty old Champion very well but really want to get into wheat grass juicing more. I buy the occasional shot from the HFS and can't believe how much it perks me up.

[Live Love Laugh]

I searched for awhile for a machine to especially do WHEAT GRASS .. I had asked to see a demo with the Omega 8005 , and was very impressed . I also looked at the Green Star .
This Omega is 'so easy' to operate that my 4 year old son makes alot of our juices and ice-cream .
I don't think you would have any regrets .

[Live Love Laugh]

So far, I'm making do with my trusty old Champion very well but really want to get into wheat grass juicing more. I buy the occasional shot from the HFS and can't believe how much it perks me up.

If you already have the Champion - then maybe just look into the inexpensive manual machines for wheat grass . I think they are around $60 .You would get your ' PERK ' and save some money until you were ready to buy the Omega .